We had booked reservations for 5:30pm for a party of 10 on a Saturday and we waited in a very crowded entrance of the restaurant for over 20 mins (it was beyond crowded, people were bumping into us, we felt like we were at the airport!) If weren't for my husband having to remind them that we were here, who knows how long we would have waited.
It was almost 6:00 pm when we were finally seated but then as we got up to get our food- someone had threw up right on the floor near the buffets. Needless to say, I lost my appetite and had no desire to stay but as I didn't want to make a scene as it was a farewell dinner for a family member going back to Europe. I forced myself to eat (after the cleanup and the smell went away). The chicken balls were very stale and the food just wasn't tasting the same to me. Maybe it was because the place was so crowded that people were jam packed in the buffet aisles that we were almost rubbing shoulders together. I think that Mandarin must have overbooked that night, how else would they explain the wait. We had reservations, it's not as if we just walked into the restaurant off the street!
I always feel sick the day after eating at Mandarin, do they still use MSG in their food? It seems that way to me.
To top off, they had a cotton candy stand right next to the food - just what we needed when we have a picky 10 year old with us. He ended up getting 3 servings of cotton candy! Was it any surprise that he hardly touched any of his food?? Why would they need cotton candy at a buffet restaurant??
I wouldn't recommend Mandarin, there are a lot better places out there to eat at.